BeckyL

Can you post a picture? My enamel coated ones are a color, instead of the black/grey cast iron.

okiepastor

okiepastor

okiepastor

You can break your pan if you put water in it while it is too hot--my son broke my BIG 18" irreplaceable camping skillet that way. Ice cold mountain stream water + hot pan = NO pan!

romanojg

on any type of pan even stoneware; if you put some vinegar in them it'll get even the worst burnt on stuff off. I also use old wine (that I won't drink anymore) because it all has the acidity to do it; it's like deglazing when you are cooking but you are using it to clean

charity-crafter

This is it-it's reversible a raised grill on one side and a flat side on the other.

http://www.aldi.us/us/html/offers/28...1_ENU_HTML.htm

I was surprised to read it had an enamal coating because it looks like traditional cast iron.

About breaking-as I was watching the water bubble up I wondered about that, but I had already done it. I was thinking adding the water to a hot pan would be like deglazing. And since I do it in a skillet, I thought it should work on the grill.

Sneed

Cast iron skillets are all we use around here. Whenever I wash them I always pour a dab of oil in and smear it around with a paper towel so there will be no beginnings of rust. Hubby uses one outside on the grill and does the same.

During the big Kentucky ice storm when we were without power for 14 days I made some chili in a cast iron pot. I should NOT have put the lid on it while cooking over the fire as some metallic taste dripped from the lid. Not so good. It was also in a pot that I don't use too often, thus not well seasoned.

Now if you have one of those smooth top ranges...forget using cast iron. It will scratch it up.

BeckyL

I wonder if the directions are generic and refer to tradional cast iron as well as those pieces that are enamel coated. I agree with you, from this picture and the write up I would think it is traditional cast iron.

I sometimes add a little water, as though deglazing, and leave the pan on the stove, but off the heat, until I am ready to wash. It prevents food from drying, making it easier to wash and I have never noticed it doing any harm.

I have used cast iron my entire cooking life and I will be 66 this summer. If you ever see any rust, wash with warm soapy water, dry, and rub a little cooking oil onto the surface and then heat and wipe out any excess oil. Should be good to go. You might also consider lining the pan with a paper towel or coffee filter if you are going to stact something else on top of it. I'm sure you will enjoy your griddle for many uears to come.

Rhonda

I grew up using iron skillets and have had several all my married life. I use mine everyday and I don't molly coddle them at all. I wash mine every time I use them and I soak them to get off any hard to wash food. I use a choreboy copper scratcher and a greenie scratcher together on them. I am hard on my skillets and beside overheating one til it cracked and broke in 3 pieces I have never had any problems. They are almost indestructible.

I use a copper scratcher and clean the inside and the bottom. I don't clean the sides because they will build up a crust over time. I don't usually bother to take the crust off but you can. I have done it. If you put it in a 250 oven for awhile you can soften that crust and get it off. Over time I just peel off any that flakes and ignore the rest. I only have 2 out of 7 that have a crust. It depends on how much you leave it on the fire and how much you use it.

I won't cook with anything but my iron skillets. I use anything for shortening. I use spray when I cook certain things and when I make pancakes I use oil. I use butter if I want something to crisp up on the bottom like chicken.

When I wash my skillets I dry them with a towel and then set them not hang them on a flat surface til they dry to minimize any rusting. But if they get rust on them just wash it off with a scratcher and use the skillet. Mine do sometimes have a bit of rust on the inside from time to time. I hang mine to store them but I don't hang them til they are dry or they will rust.

I think they fry better than any other skillet I have ever used. And from time to time DH has insisted on teflon coated skillets but I prefer my iron skillets every time.

NDQuilts

Wow. I appreciate all the insights here. I am fed up with all my non-stick cookware and was considering switching it all for cast iron and stoneware for baking. It may be old technology but it's proven.